Albertson’s, Safeway Sell 168 Stores

Ahead of their expected merger next month, grocery chains Albertsons LLC (Boise, Id.) and Safeway Inc. (Pleasanton, Calif.) announced they will divest stores across eight states. 168 stores will be acquired by four buyers. They include: Haggen (Bellingham, Wash.), which will purchase 146 stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington; Associated Wholesale Grocers (Kansas City, Kan.), which will purchase 12 stores in Texas; Associated Foods Stores (Salt Lake City, Ut.), which will acquire eight stores in Montana and Wyoming; and Supervalu (Minneapolis), which will acquire two stores in Washington.

Under the terms of the purchases, the buyers will acquire the divested stores, plus all equipment and inventory. They are also expected to hire most, if not all, existing store employees, According to Supermarket News, the divestitures bring the companies a step closer to securing Federal Trade Commission approval of the merge, expected to be finalized next month.